Chuck Wendig's blog remains a go-to resource for the writer with a sense of humor about what she does. He posted another 25 things article, this one about writing advice.
Greta van der Rol hosted Meg Mims for a post on the importance of research. Lack of research can rip your reader right out of the story and leave a sour taste in her mouth, so it's vital.
Imran Siddiq offered this post of tips on writing prose. I also thought this post on "oomph" words was interesting because it shows how important word choice really is.
Bob Mayer offered this wrap up of Storyworld. I thought Disney's weenie was especially useful. All ten of those tips can apply to your "brand" as a writer.
I want to share this post from Erotic Romance because it made me start planning a blog post on the crossover from fanfiction to original fiction.
Into the Morning made this post on book design trends she loves and hates. Look closely. If you're in the market for a cover designer, I think she potentially offered.
Keystrokes and Word Counts has a series of posts on the ABCs of NaNo. Even if you're not doing NaNo, the posts are worth checking out.
Stella Deleuze posted part three of her dialogue attributes series.
The Bookshelf Muse hosted a guest post from Janice Hardy on marketing your novel.
Written Words posted about not carving your outline into stone. I think the core of the post is important to every writer: be flexible.
Your Cover Uncovered reviewed the Tulagi Hotel by Heikki Hetala.
Showing posts with label your cover uncovered. Show all posts
Showing posts with label your cover uncovered. Show all posts
Monday, November 7, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Blog Roundup: October 10 - 16, 2011
In honor of Halloween (I guess), Chuck Wendig posted 25 Things You Should Know About Writing Horror.
Stella Deleuze made a fun post about the behind-the-scenes of novel writing. It made me smile.
Amanda Hocking posted a rant (sort of) about the whole "million books sold" deal. She makes an excellent, simple point: write well. The sales come later, the writing comes first.
If you write erotica or romance or some combination of the two, Erotic Romance should be on your blogroll. The industry information is invaluable.
Into The Morning has a useful "mini rant" on blogs. I, for one, am always looking for little things to improve and tweak here and at my website, so I enjoy finding these posts.
If you're reading this blog, you're probably a writer. And you probably have people in your life who don't "get it." Direct them to this post at James Killick's blog. It's a good summary of the creative process, I think.
Keystrokes and Word Counts, in their new home, had three posts on preparing for NaNoWriMo. If you're going to participate, I strongly suggest preparing.
I recently discovered Sierra Godfrey's blog. This is another one I recommend you add to your blogroll for posts like why blogging works for writers and writerly afflictions. Any place that combines humor and information is my kind of place.
Sirra shared another round of writing tips.
Written Words is doing a series on "GRIP" (goal, reader, idea, plan). If you're a plotter, especially if you're a new plotter, it's worth checking out.
Your Cover Uncovered has a new cover review up.
Stella Deleuze made a fun post about the behind-the-scenes of novel writing. It made me smile.
Amanda Hocking posted a rant (sort of) about the whole "million books sold" deal. She makes an excellent, simple point: write well. The sales come later, the writing comes first.
If you write erotica or romance or some combination of the two, Erotic Romance should be on your blogroll. The industry information is invaluable.
Into The Morning has a useful "mini rant" on blogs. I, for one, am always looking for little things to improve and tweak here and at my website, so I enjoy finding these posts.
If you're reading this blog, you're probably a writer. And you probably have people in your life who don't "get it." Direct them to this post at James Killick's blog. It's a good summary of the creative process, I think.
Keystrokes and Word Counts, in their new home, had three posts on preparing for NaNoWriMo. If you're going to participate, I strongly suggest preparing.
I recently discovered Sierra Godfrey's blog. This is another one I recommend you add to your blogroll for posts like why blogging works for writers and writerly afflictions. Any place that combines humor and information is my kind of place.
Sirra shared another round of writing tips.
Written Words is doing a series on "GRIP" (goal, reader, idea, plan). If you're a plotter, especially if you're a new plotter, it's worth checking out.
Your Cover Uncovered has a new cover review up.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Blog Roundup: September 26 - October 2, 2011
Chuck Wendig has done it again, this time with a post on the 25 things writers should know about theme. Are you following his blog yet? At least checking it regularly? You should be. Also, he made this post on self-doubt. I particularly liked the line about the "rogue gallery of nemeses."
I think we all realize that I officially have a Thing for Greta van der Rol and her wonderful writing. Well. Now I have one more reason to love her. No, this post doesn't strictly fit in with my "writing help" theme, but it's worth reading because I believe it illustrates very well how one simple thing can turn us on to something and inspire us and then we can do something great. (The moment I fell in love with Star Wars, by the way, happened at the end of A New Hope, when Red Leader says "Lock S-foils in attack position," and the X-wings opened up. As for when I fell in love with science fiction, I couldn't possibly say. It has been part of my entertainment for as long as I can remember.)
I missed this post in my last roundup, but it's worth reading. Imran Siddiq asks, "Do I need an editor?" and the answer is a resounding "Yes!" I'm in the process of starting to research good editing tips right now because, coming the second or third week of October, we will have an All About Editing week here on the blog. I have one guest post from a brilliant editor lined up and I hope to work out details with a second editor for another guest post. I also plan to write a couple of posts on beta-reading and self-editing.
James Killick posted ten questions to ask your characters, something I found fascinating and useful. I think that a lot of new writers have difficulty with characterization. I don't exactly consider myself a new writer, but I do recognize that characterization is something I need to work on.
Keystrokes & Word Counts is such a great blog. This post on backing up your files, this post on reviews, and this post on playing nice are all worth reading.
The Lindsay's Ramblings blog has had a series of defining "-punk" posts lately. If you're curious about things like steampunk and splatterpunk and anything that ends in, well, punk, then I suggest checking her out.
Two blogs worth following: Pub Rants and Slush Pile Hell. Even if you self-publish, I believe you should be educated about the publishing industry and I think you should seek out whatever information you can from agents and editors. You know that whole "Knowledge is power, power corrupts; study hard, be evil" thing? I mean, just the "knowledge is power" part. Anyway, I'm still learning about the publishing industry, and reading blogs from agents and editors--even the humorous, ranty one like Slush Pile Hell--is incredibly useful.
Aimee Salter offered this #1 blogging tip. I completely agree. I allow anonymous comments. Sure, you get some spam and some nastiness, maybe, but in the end, it's worth it.
If you're interested in traditional publication, read this post at Sirra's blog on the dos and don'ts in query letter writing. Seriously, follow her blog. She may be stabby, but she's smart and genuinely wants to help.
Your Cover Uncovered reviewed another book cover!
I think we all realize that I officially have a Thing for Greta van der Rol and her wonderful writing. Well. Now I have one more reason to love her. No, this post doesn't strictly fit in with my "writing help" theme, but it's worth reading because I believe it illustrates very well how one simple thing can turn us on to something and inspire us and then we can do something great. (The moment I fell in love with Star Wars, by the way, happened at the end of A New Hope, when Red Leader says "Lock S-foils in attack position," and the X-wings opened up. As for when I fell in love with science fiction, I couldn't possibly say. It has been part of my entertainment for as long as I can remember.)
I missed this post in my last roundup, but it's worth reading. Imran Siddiq asks, "Do I need an editor?" and the answer is a resounding "Yes!" I'm in the process of starting to research good editing tips right now because, coming the second or third week of October, we will have an All About Editing week here on the blog. I have one guest post from a brilliant editor lined up and I hope to work out details with a second editor for another guest post. I also plan to write a couple of posts on beta-reading and self-editing.
James Killick posted ten questions to ask your characters, something I found fascinating and useful. I think that a lot of new writers have difficulty with characterization. I don't exactly consider myself a new writer, but I do recognize that characterization is something I need to work on.
Keystrokes & Word Counts is such a great blog. This post on backing up your files, this post on reviews, and this post on playing nice are all worth reading.
The Lindsay's Ramblings blog has had a series of defining "-punk" posts lately. If you're curious about things like steampunk and splatterpunk and anything that ends in, well, punk, then I suggest checking her out.
Two blogs worth following: Pub Rants and Slush Pile Hell. Even if you self-publish, I believe you should be educated about the publishing industry and I think you should seek out whatever information you can from agents and editors. You know that whole "Knowledge is power, power corrupts; study hard, be evil" thing? I mean, just the "knowledge is power" part. Anyway, I'm still learning about the publishing industry, and reading blogs from agents and editors--even the humorous, ranty one like Slush Pile Hell--is incredibly useful.
Aimee Salter offered this #1 blogging tip. I completely agree. I allow anonymous comments. Sure, you get some spam and some nastiness, maybe, but in the end, it's worth it.
If you're interested in traditional publication, read this post at Sirra's blog on the dos and don'ts in query letter writing. Seriously, follow her blog. She may be stabby, but she's smart and genuinely wants to help.
Your Cover Uncovered reviewed another book cover!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Blog Roundup: September 19 - 25, 2011
Chuck Wendig made yet another "25" post, this time about the virtues writers should possess. As long as you have 13 and 21, you can fake the rest if you have to.
Avery Olive had a nice little nugget of advice in a post this week on blog hopping. I'm part of Greta van der Rol's blog tour to promote the next Iron Admiral book and I'm watching carefully how it's done at other blogs. I need to start devoting more time to commenting and reading during the week because I'm hoping that when I'm ready to release the vampire novel, I can do some kind of blog tour.
James Killick made a very interesting post about writing for the right medium. I think it's worth looking at and asking yourself the questions he poses, especially if you're feeling stuck.
Aimee Salter's blog is worth following and reading regularly. Her recent posts on critical plot elements alone are great.
If you need a trait defined, weather analyzed, or just a hint about where to go on your bookshelf for specific inspiration, The Bookshelf Muse should be on your blogroll.
This post over at the Feckless Goblin made me laugh. I don't know if I necessarily believe the facts, but it did remind me that when I start with pen and paper, I do tend to follow through.
Your Cover Uncovered reviewed a new book cover. A good thought process for designing your own book cover should be, "What would Ms. Melville say?"
Avery Olive had a nice little nugget of advice in a post this week on blog hopping. I'm part of Greta van der Rol's blog tour to promote the next Iron Admiral book and I'm watching carefully how it's done at other blogs. I need to start devoting more time to commenting and reading during the week because I'm hoping that when I'm ready to release the vampire novel, I can do some kind of blog tour.
James Killick made a very interesting post about writing for the right medium. I think it's worth looking at and asking yourself the questions he poses, especially if you're feeling stuck.
Aimee Salter's blog is worth following and reading regularly. Her recent posts on critical plot elements alone are great.
If you need a trait defined, weather analyzed, or just a hint about where to go on your bookshelf for specific inspiration, The Bookshelf Muse should be on your blogroll.
This post over at the Feckless Goblin made me laugh. I don't know if I necessarily believe the facts, but it did remind me that when I start with pen and paper, I do tend to follow through.
Your Cover Uncovered reviewed a new book cover. A good thought process for designing your own book cover should be, "What would Ms. Melville say?"
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Blog Roundup: August 29 - September 4, 2011
My crush on Chuck Wendig just keeps getting bigger. He had two fantastic posts this week. "25 Things You Should Know About Self-Publishing" is part of his "25" series and, of course, is full of good points to get your brain working. "Making Sense of Ninety-Nine Cents" is about the $0.99 price and how to use it.
Last week, I posted about ebook covers. This week, The Passive Voice had a post on terrible covers and asked if they could kill book sales. (Yes. Yes, they can.)
Greta van der Rol wrote about building better websites. It went up as a companion piece to her post on what she hates about websites. If you have a site, it's worth checking out what people dislike. You want people to visit your site and stick around, not click back home because they're frustrated. (Even though it's old, I'm going to suggest this post, too, because book covers are apparently Theme Of The Week in my world.)
James Killick blogged about how to build a loyal Twitter following. I particularly agree with not block-tweeting for Follow Friday. I like it when the people I follow tell me why they think I should follow someone else, too.
The question of how much self-promotion is too much is addressed in this Keystrokes & Word Counts post. Self-promotion is something I struggle with. Oh, I have no problem sharing a link a day to whichever blog post I've just put up, but that's because I try to write posts I think will be helpful to others. Promoting my book... that's something else.
A new blog launched this week, and I can't pick just one post to link to. I liked the first one, the one on clichés, the one about Stephen King, the one about not being a dick on Twitter, and the one about bestsellers. Just go read it. It looks really promising.
Sirra posted another roundup of her #writetips from Twitter. You should listen to her. She's smart. Also, she's kind of stabby, so... yeah. (I understand she's considering a post on manuscript format. I hope she does one. Apparently, double spaces after a period are only standard in academic writing.)
A new cover was reviewed over at Your Cover Uncovered. Check it out and absorb some knowledge! Or possibly I mean wisdom. Maybe I mean both.
Last week, I posted about ebook covers. This week, The Passive Voice had a post on terrible covers and asked if they could kill book sales. (Yes. Yes, they can.)
Greta van der Rol wrote about building better websites. It went up as a companion piece to her post on what she hates about websites. If you have a site, it's worth checking out what people dislike. You want people to visit your site and stick around, not click back home because they're frustrated. (Even though it's old, I'm going to suggest this post, too, because book covers are apparently Theme Of The Week in my world.)
James Killick blogged about how to build a loyal Twitter following. I particularly agree with not block-tweeting for Follow Friday. I like it when the people I follow tell me why they think I should follow someone else, too.
The question of how much self-promotion is too much is addressed in this Keystrokes & Word Counts post. Self-promotion is something I struggle with. Oh, I have no problem sharing a link a day to whichever blog post I've just put up, but that's because I try to write posts I think will be helpful to others. Promoting my book... that's something else.
A new blog launched this week, and I can't pick just one post to link to. I liked the first one, the one on clichés, the one about Stephen King, the one about not being a dick on Twitter, and the one about bestsellers. Just go read it. It looks really promising.
Sirra posted another roundup of her #writetips from Twitter. You should listen to her. She's smart. Also, she's kind of stabby, so... yeah. (I understand she's considering a post on manuscript format. I hope she does one. Apparently, double spaces after a period are only standard in academic writing.)
A new cover was reviewed over at Your Cover Uncovered. Check it out and absorb some knowledge! Or possibly I mean wisdom. Maybe I mean both.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Monday Miscellany
Man, interior design is hard. I think the kid and I are going to plan a trip to IKEA in Mannheim later on this week. It's time to give the living room a bright, fun update. I'm thinking turquoise, lime green, and white with splashes of hot pink and orange.
I've finished the rewrite of "Flagstaff." In my early-morning delirium, I realize that "Vega" doesn't fit with the rest of the stories, so it'll have to be lifted out. This is fine; it will make final edits easier, and make the overall story clearer. I can also edit it and offer it as an extra short for free on the website.
With a little luck and a lot of hard work, I'll be done with Cass Gets Her Kicks by the end of the week, and I can start work on The Widow & The Cowboy while I start the rewrites for Strawberry Moon.
Your Cover Uncovered is an excellent blog that reviews book covers. It's relatively new, but I love it already. You should check it out!
I've finished the rewrite of "Flagstaff." In my early-morning delirium, I realize that "Vega" doesn't fit with the rest of the stories, so it'll have to be lifted out. This is fine; it will make final edits easier, and make the overall story clearer. I can also edit it and offer it as an extra short for free on the website.
With a little luck and a lot of hard work, I'll be done with Cass Gets Her Kicks by the end of the week, and I can start work on The Widow & The Cowboy while I start the rewrites for Strawberry Moon.
Your Cover Uncovered is an excellent blog that reviews book covers. It's relatively new, but I love it already. You should check it out!
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